Microbiota, immunity and immunologically-mediated diseases

Each individual is colonized by broad spectrum of microbes. Recent surge of interest in microbiota across all fields of medicine was motivated by an increasing body of knowledge on how commensals influence human health. This is most notable in the gut, where most microbes reside, but microbes colonizing other niches, such as oral cavity or skin, may influence health as well. Microbiota fundamentally influences the immune system development and its perturbation, i.e. dysbiosis, is associated with many inflammatory, autoimmune and neoplastic diseases. Microbiota forms a symbiotic relationship with the host - maintaining balanced and efficient immune response and protects from colonization by pathogens. Modern medicine may benefit greatly by adopting these ideas for therapeutic or prophylactic purposes. These may include manipulation with microbiota by diet, changes in lifestyle or directly by probiotics or fecal microbiota transfer.